Dawn
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Dawn - 18:49 May 12, 2025
The recent military escalation with arch-rival India won’t have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan and can be managed within the current fiscal space, with no need for a new economic assessment, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in an interview with Reuters on Monday. Trade talks with the United States — which had played a key role mediating a ceasefire between the two countries — would likely have progressed in “short order” and that Pakistan could import more high-quality cotton, more soy beans and was also exploring other asset classes, including hydrocarbons, Aurangzeb said in the online interview. Regarding the conflict, Aurangzeb described it as a “short duration escalation” with minimal fiscal impact, stating it can be “accommodated within the fiscal space which is available to the government of Pakistan”. When questioned about potential increased military spending in the upcoming budget, Aurangzeb deferred comment, saying it was premature to discuss specific plans. However, he said: “Whatever we... -
Dawn - 18:00 May 12, 2025
Pakistan’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah and his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai on Monday held the first round of talks via hotline after the recent ceasefire between the two countries in the wake of a military conflict. Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense exchanges of fire as the nuclear-armed neighbours targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians. Confirming the talks to Dawn.com, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the next round would take place in the next 48 hours. A ceasefire till then, he said, was “quite standard”. State media outlets Radio Pakistan and PTV News confirmed the talks as well. Reuters also reported that the Indian army confirmed that the DGMOs spoke by phone today. “Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against ... -
Dawn - 17:16 May 12, 2025
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs went on trial on sex trafficking charges on Monday, with prosecutors saying the Bad Boy Records founder lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fuelled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters. Combs “viciously attacked” women when they resisted taking part in the parties, known as ‘freak offs’ or otherwise upset him, prosecutor Emily Johnson said during her opening statement in Manhattan federal court. She told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs, 55, routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights. The case has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ fame. “They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’s sexual fantasies,” Johnson said. Defence lawyer Teny Geragos countered that prosecutors were trying to twist Combs’ r... -
Dawn - 16:01 May 12, 2025
British police are investigating an overnight fire at a house belonging to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in north London in which nobody was hurt. “The prime minister thanks the emergency services for their work. The incident is subject to a live investigation and we will therefore not be commenting further,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s Downing Street office said. Police said in a statement, without mentioning the British leader, that they were called to reports of a fire at around 01:35 local time (0035 GMT). “Officers attended the scene. Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, [and] nobody was hurt,” London’s Metropolitan Police said. “The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while enquiries continue.” The London Fire Brigade said it attended a “small fire”. Starmer, who has a home in north London, has lived at his Downing Street office and residence since becoming prime minister last July. -
Dawn - 14:07 May 12, 2025
Drones, Rafales, JF-17s, and scathing rebukes — India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states, witnessed one of their biggest escalations last week. While the neighbours are not new to conflict, this time, the breakdown in their relations was different, given the frequency and intensity of the aggression. It began with the horrific killing of 26 tourists at a hill station in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, an accusation the latter denies. Islamabad has since called for an international independent probe into the massacre. However, on the night of May 6-7, New Delhi took things a step forward and launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. On Saturday, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan. However... -
Dawn - 13:18 May 12, 2025
A man and his son were among three killed when a dumper truck collided with their vehicle on Sunday evening on the Main Northern Bypass in Karachi. In recent months, Karachi witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. Surjani Town Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammed Ali Shah told Dawn.com that three persons were traveling in a car when a “speeding” dumper struck them on the Northern Bypass near Hamdard University. “The police rushed to the scene after receiving information of the accident. Police found the car crushed beneath the dumper while the three occupants were found dead on the spot,” he added. He continued that the driver managed to escape from the scene before police reached there. “However, the suspect Gul Baig was subsequently arrested.” The deceased were identified as Suleman, 60, his son Usama, 35, and Faraz Sikander, 40. The bodies were shift... -
Dawn - 12:48 May 12, 2025
Israeli officials have put a brave face on President Donald Trump bypassing them on a Middle East trip this week, but his decision to do so is the latest to sow doubt in Israel about where the United States stands in Washington’s priorities. On Sunday, a few days after announcing plans for an expanded military operation in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had been informed by the US of an agreement to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel. Trump, who will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, also caused consternation in Israel last week by abruptly announcing the US would stop bombing Houthis in Yemen, days after a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main airport. “The message to the region was clear: Israel is no longer a top US priority,” wrote Itamar Eichner, diplomatic correspondent for Israeli news outlets Ynet, echoing media commentators across the political spectrum. One Israeli... -
Dawn - 12:33 May 12, 2025
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Monday to “finally take back control” of Britain’s borders as his government unveiled policies designed to reduce legal immigration and fend off rising support for the hard right. Labour leader Starmer announced he was ending an “experiment in open borders” that saw net migration rise to nearly one million people under the previous Conservative government, which lost last year’s general election. The government’s Immigration White Paper policy document includes plans to cut overseas [care workers][2] and increase from five to 10 years the length of time people will have to live in UK before qualifying for settlement and citizenship. English language rules will also be strengthened, with all adult dependents required to demonstrate a basic understanding, while the length of time students can stay in the UK after completing their studies will be reduced. Starmer said the policies would “finally take back control of our borders”, recalling the pro-Brexit slogan used at the... -
Dawn - 12:17 May 12, 2025
Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina masterminded a deadly crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year, prosecutors at a domestic war crimes tribunal said on Monday. Up to 1,400 people died in July 2024 when Hasina’s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the opposition, according to the United Nations. Hasina lives in self-imposed exile in India, where she fled by helicopter, and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity. “The investigation team has found Sheikh Hasina culpable in at least five charges,” Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor at Bangladesh’s domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters. “They have brought charges of abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass murder during the July uprising.” Tajul Islam said the prosecution had submitted its first report to be presented at the court set to try Hasina and two of her aides — former home minister Asaduzzaman... -
Dawn - 12:12 May 12, 2025
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Monday its dissolution and the end of more than four decades of armed struggle against the Turkish state, the pro-Kurd ANF news agency reported. “The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the group announced in a statement after holding its congress last week. The PKK’s announcement to dissolve itself heeds a call by its founder Abdullah Ocalan, jailed on an island off Istanbul since 1999, who urged his fighters in February to disarm and disband. In a letter, Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision. Days later, the PKK’s leadership accepted Ocalan’s call, declaring a ceasefire. In a speech on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that news about a dissolution could come at any moment, adding that his government was determined to “save our country from the scourge of terrorism”. “We are advancing with firm steps on the path to the goal of a terror-fre... -
Dawn - 11:22 May 12, 2025
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) gained a record nine per cent on Monday — the restored calm in the market mirroring that in the region after the recent Pakistan-India ceasefire that boosted investor mood. Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of tit-for-tat strikes between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as well as diplomacy and pressure from Washington. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 9,929.48 points, or 9.26pc, to stand at 117,104.11 points from the previous close of 107,174.63 at 9:30am. Due to the massive gains, the PSX was suspended for an hour after opening to control excessive volatility. Later in the day, the benchmark index reached as many as 117,327.78 points — 10,153.15 points (9.47pc) higher than yesterday’s close, at 3:15pm. This marked the highest intraday gain (points-wise) — more than double the 4,700 points surge in November 2024. Finally, the KSE-100 closed at 117,297.73 points, with a gain of 10,123.10 points (9.45pc) compared to the previo... -
Dawn - 09:59 May 12, 2025
The workers of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vandalised Karachi Bakery in India’s Hyderabad over its name on Saturday, prior to the ceasefire announcement between the two neighbouring countries amid heightened tensions, Indian media outlet The Wire reported. The vandals wore saffron shawls, stepped on Pakistani flags and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, The Wire said, adding that there was footage of them striking the bakery’s sign with sticks, to target the word ‘Karachi’. The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours began following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the attackers. Pakistan firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. Following the allegations, India launched a series of drone strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then launched missiles at each other, which stretched over the week befo... -
Dawn - 09:48 May 12, 2025
The United States and China announced on Monday an agreement to drastically reduce tit-for-tat tariffs for 90 days, de-escalating a trade war that has roiled financial markets and raised fears of a global economic downturn. After their first talks since US President Donald Trump launched his trade war, the world’s two biggest economies agreed in a joint statement to bring their triple-digit tariffs down to two figures and continue negotiations. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the weekend talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and international trade representative Li Chenggang as “productive” and “robust”. “Both sides showed a great respect,” Bessent told reporters. US President Donald Trump had imposed duties of 145 per cent on imports for China last month — compared to 10pc for other countries in the global tariff blitz he launched last month. Beijing hit back with duties of 125pc on US goods. Bessent said the two sides agreed to reduce those tariffs by 115pc, taking US tariffs to 30pc and ... -
Dawn - 08:24 May 12, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government only managed to spend around 41 per cent of the development funds allocated for the fiscal year despite the passage of 10 months, the planning ministry has said. The development spending stood at Rs448.6bn in the first 10 months (July-April) of fiscal year 2025, accounting for less than 41pc of Rs1.1 trillion revised budget allocation for the whole year. The lack of spending suggests a large part of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) — revised down from Rs1.4tr to Rs1.1tr — would remain unspent at the end of the fiscal year in June. The ministry’s monthly data released on Sunday showed funds given to parliamentarians were the only exception to the otherwise paltry spending. Finance ministry pushes back date to surrender unspent funds by a month The utilisation of funds at Rs35bn was even higher than the first revised allocation of Rs25bn for the current year. A mechanism devised by the finance ministry for the current fiscal year dictated the government should release 15p... -
Dawn - 07:39 May 12, 2025
Indian batsman Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, bringing down the curtain on a sparkling career in the longest format just days after captain Rohit Sharma did the same. Kohli, who made his debut in 2011 and scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 over 123 tests, is expected to remain available for one-day internationals. The 36-year-old quit Twenty20 Internationals immediately after India won their second 20-overs World Cup trophy in the West Indies last year. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.” “There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.” View this post on Instagram In a post on X, the Indian Cricket Board, BCCI, announced the farewell of the fo... -
Dawn - 07:02 May 12, 2025
• Says he was arrested after being spotted near Lahore corps commander’s house • Claims he was on duty with a pilot from Mian Mir area LAHORE: A driver serving in the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Limousine service continues to face arrest and court hearings, ever since he was picked up after being “spotted near the Lahore corps commander’s house” on May 9, 2023. Shah Din, claims he was on official assignment, to pick up a PIA pilot from his residence in the Mian Mir locality. He drove from The Mall towards the cantonment area and, on the suggestion of traffic police, proceeded towards Rahat Bakery and then turned towards CMH Hospital to reach the airport. There, he was caught up in the crowd as PTI workers and supporters launched their violent protest at the intersection outside the corps commander’s residence. But in the meanwhile, he was spotted in the vicinity on CCTV footage and through geo-fencing, and eventually booked and arrested. The PIA Lahore Airport scheduling officer had written a lette... -
Dawn - 05:21 May 12, 2025
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff. The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all Israeli prisoners. Speaking in fluent Italian, Leo also welcomed the recent fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan, negotiated overnight, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.” “No more war!” the pope said, repeating a frequent call of the late Pope Francis and noting the recent 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in which some 60 million people were killed. Leo said today’s world was living through “the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal,” again repeating a phrase coined by Pope Francis. Tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and on the Via della Conciliazione leading to the Vatican broke into applause at the call for pea... -
Dawn - 04:13 May 12, 2025
KARACHI: Terming their imprisoned leader “a symbol of resistance”, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers organised a big rally in the metropolis on Sunday and demanded that party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan be released forthwith. The participants also condemned the Indian aggression, calling it a blatant provocation and a violation of international norms. The rally, which began from the party office called Insaf House on Sharea Faisal, drew a large number of PTI workers and supporters from different parts of the city. However, when the rally reached near the Finance & Trade Centre (FTC), it found the city administration and police blocked the main road leading to the ‘Red Zone’ by parking police mobiles and water tankers on Sharea Faisal. The closure of the road caused a massive traffic jam. Consequently, the PTI rally had to change its route, made a left turn towards Kala Pul and reached Nishan-i-Pakistan near Seaview via DHA. Party leaders and activists condemn Indian aggression, celebrate... -
Dawn - 04:08 May 12, 2025
• KWSC fails to restore normal supply in several localities despite repair of line ruptured on KU campus • Residents complain no water for 12 days • Utility spokesperson claims supply to city restored, areas getting water on schedule KARACHI: While Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has recently taken notice of the water crisis and instructed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to restore normal supply, several localities in all the seven districts of Karachi have still been facing a severe water crisis since the leakage of an 84-inch main on Karachi University campus on April 29. Despite the completion of the repair work on the ruptured line, water woes of the people across the city have yet to come to an end as restoration of normal supply to the affected areas has been delayed due to filling of the repaired line with water under low pressure. Although the CM had directed the KWSC to restore normal water supply from Saturday, sources in the KWSC said that it might take several more days ... -
Dawn - 03:51 May 12, 2025
NEW DELHI: The guns of India and Pakistan have fallen silent after the announcement of a ceasefire that paused the hostilities kicked off by India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7. The ceasefire announced on Saturday allayed the fears of broader escalation but the wife of an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) trooper captured by Pakistan last month is perturbed about her husband. She has asked her government if her ‘sindoor’ would be returned. Sindoor is a vermilion mark worn mostly by rural Hindu women in their hair parting to depict their marital status. Indian news publication The Wire reported that the family of 34-year-old Purnam Sau in Rishra, West Bengal, was hoping diplomatic efforts would help his return. Sau, posted with the 24th Battalion of the BSF in Firozpur, Punjab, was deployed along the India-Pakistan border on April 23, when he assisted local farmers in evacuating a vulnerable zone and reportedly crossed the international boundary inadvertently. The event took place at a time when tensions wer...
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